Having arrived in Port Moresby to a rousing local welcome, the Australian Prime Minister’s team put their rock star status to the side and began focussing on their preparation for Saturday afternoon’s blockbuster against the Papua New Guinean 13.
The team, captained by South Sydney fullback, Greg Inglis, headed out to their first training session in the Port Moresby heat, with a win on their minds.
The 18 man side, appeared relaxed and professional as they tested the grounds at the national football stadium in Port Moresby this morning.
Despite the sweltering conditions and under clear blue skies, the Australians focused on acclimatising themselves against a PNG side filled with semi-professional players, taken from the SP PNG Hunters franchise.
For some of the Australian players, PNG is a new experience. Ryan James from the Gold Coast Titans, who has played for the PMs XIII side previously, expressed amazement at the large crowd witnessed on arrival.
Other activities apart from the session itself, was a presentation of Jerseys to the New South Wales U16 school boys who will also be facing the PNG U16 side tomorrow.
The main message delivered by organisers of the Prime Minister’s XIII match focuses on the theme of ‘Strong Men Respect Women’, a campaign aimed at stopping violence against women in PNG.
The match starts at 4pm at the National Football Stadium.
